A new study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics has found that teenagers and young adults are starting drugs later in their lives.
Researchers from Washington State University said the average age at which teenagers start using drugs, including tobacco and alcohol, has been increasing.
The study looked at more than 84,300 people aged between 12 and 21 and analyzed the average age of their first drug use from 2004 to 2017. The researchers found that the average age increased for most of the drugs.
Lead study author Dr. Karl Alcover said, “This is great news because delaying drug use prevents early exposure, which is associated with a variety of negative health consequences, including increased risk of drug use disorder and long-term impairments such as depression, neurocognitive deficits, involvement in risky behaviors, and sexually transmitted diseases.”
The study results found that the average age at which young adults first smoked cigarettes or consumed alcohol increased from 16 in 2004 to 17 in 2017. Participants who reported using cocaine or heroin for the first time had an average age of 17 in 2004, which increased to 18 for heroin and 19 for cocaine by 2017.
The researchers looked at the use of 18 different drugs, including alcohol, ecstasy, cocaine, hallucinogens, heroin, LSD, cannabis, and tobacco products.
“Our study shows that since 2004 fewer individuals started using drugs at age 15 and younger, which is what we would typically consider as early-onset drug use,” said Dr. Alcover. “These promising trends may serve as early evidence that prevention strategies, especially those focused on teens and young adults, are working.”
Dr. Alcover explained that it is important to look at what drives the trends that were seen in this study.
He noted the success of prevention efforts could be one of the explanations. However, it could also be due to preferences that young adults have switched from conventional cigarettes to e-cigarettes.
He also noted that more studies are needed to understand why some drugs did not show an increase in average age. By understanding that, one could help improve prevention strategies for those drugs.
“Prevention of drug use is the best approach to reducing drug-related burden in the population,” said Dr. Alcover.
